Combined calf and foal puller and hoist



P. V. HORST COMBINED CALF AND FOAL FULLER AND HOIST Filed'Sept. 8, 1953Jan. 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Paul \I. Horst ATTORNEY Jan.13, 1959 P. v. HORST 2,868,207

COMBINED CALF AND FOAL FULLER AND HOIST Filed Sept. 8, 1953 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Paul V. Horst ATTORNEY United States atent Ofiiice COMBINED CALF ANDFOAL PULLER AND HOIST,

Paul V. Horst, Adams County, Colo. Application September 8, 1953, SerialNo. 378,970 Claims. or. 128-352) The present invention relates to acombined calf and foal puller and hoist. It has to do particularly,although not exclusively, with a new and improved calf puller includingmanually operated power pulling means which may be used as a power hoistto perform many and varied hoisting or pulling operations.

Many types of calf pullers have appeared on the maritet, some of whichwere capable of use with a certain degree of success but most of whichhave had the objectionable feature of functioning with a jerky orirregular action, often" causing injury, such as tearing, to the motheranimal or to the calf being delivered. Moreover, many of the known calfpullers have required the services of two persons to operate with them.

it is, therefore, one of the objects of the present invention to providea new'and improved calf puller having none of the objectionable featuresof previously-known calf pullers and one which is capable of beingoperated with full eliic'iency by one person.

Another and important feature of the present invention is to provide anew and improved calf puller which may be used successfully andefiiciently without requiring tying or staking the mother animal whichcan either stand or lie down during the delivery process.

A further and important object of the present invention is to provide anew and improved calf puller of the foregoing character which includesmanually operated power pulling means for effecting the delivery of acalf or other foal, which power pulling means can be removed, as a unit,from the frame of the puller and used as a power hoist to performvarious services.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved calf puller in which the pulling action is gradual, steady, andpositive so that the process of delivering the calf is at all timesunder the control of the operator of the puller, permitting the operatorto coordinate the mechanical assisting action duringthe delivery withthe natural delivery process of the mother animal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved calfpuller having manually-operated power pulling means for effecting a slowandgentle pulling ac tion, and one in which manually-actuated releasemeans is provided to permit independent operation of the pulling means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedcalf puller of the foregoing character having. manuallyperated powerpulling means, in which the speed of the pulling action can beregulatedas desired.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved calfpuller having manually-operated power pulling means which, when inuse,is under the control of the operator at all times and in which acranking action may be employed to effect the pullingoperation ofwinding the cable, and in which means is provided permitting the cableto be played out rapidly independently of the cranking action whendesirable.

Another and important object of the present invention is to provide anew and improved calf puller formed in sections or units which may bedismantled for shipping or transportation purposes and which may beeasily and quickly assembled to provide a strong though lightweight anddurable implement.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill appear from the following description and appended claims whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a partof this specification wherein like reference characters designatecorresponding parts in the several views.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the calf puller inaccordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the calf puller of Fig. 1,illustrating its use upon a cow while in standing position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the manuallycontrolled pullingunit or hoist means of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 3 andsubstantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction ofthe arrows.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail of the clutch mechanism of thepresent invention; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View, partly in elevation,taken substantially along the line 66 of Fig. 3, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Befdre explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and arrangemen of parts illustratedin the accompanyingdrawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. It is to be understoodalso that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for thepurpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended tolimit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements pf the priorart.

One form of the calf puller of the present invention is shown in Figs. 1and 2 of the drawings. While Fig. 2 shows the implement being used todeliver a calf from the mother animal which is in standing position, itwill be understood, of course, that the animal can lie on its sideduring the delivery process.

The puller as shown comprises a longitudinal frame or elongatedshaft-like member, shown as a whole at Iii. As shown, the shaftltl isformed in two sections 11 and 12. The animal-engaging and embracing shoemernber, shown as a whole at 13, is preferably detachably mounted uponthe outer end of tubular shaft section 11. The shoe 13 has two outwardlyflared end portions 14, 14 and is reinforced by a longitudinallyextending web 15. Located centrally of the shoe is a projecting stud(not shown) which telescopes into the end of the hollow shaft section11.

Each end portion 14 is provided with a slot or openmg, one such beingshown as 17 in Fig. 2, for receiving and supporting flexible andadjustable means, such as an adjustable preferably heavy web belt and.buckle 18. The purpose of this adjustable belt or member 13 is to holdthe puller in place with relation to the animal to be assisted in' itsdelivery of a calf, as shown in Fig. 2.

The outer end of shaft section 12 receives andremovablysup'ports themanually-operated power pulling. means or hoist mechanism of the presentinvention which is shown as a whole at 19. This power pulling means orhoist 19 is shown in greater detail in Figs. 3 through 6 of thedrawings. As shown, it comprises a two part housing or casing,preferably an aluminum casting, and consisting of a baclthalf or section20 and a so-called mfi front half or section 21. The halves or sections20 and 21 are preferably held together, as a unit, by a bolt 22 having acap nut 23 and a threaded stud or screw 24, see particularly Fig. 3. Ahanging or suspending hook 25, see Fig. 1, extends outwardly from theupper end of the housing 19 and is supported between the halves thereofby the threaded stud or screw 24. The section I I pull it outwardly toshift shaft 30 axially and bring the or half 20 of the housing isprovided with a semi-circular socket 20a and the other section or half21 with a similar semi-circular socket 21a. When the halves areassembled, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the two half sockets 20a and21a together provide a round socket to receive the outer end of frame orshaft section 12.

The housing or casing 19 contains a small drum or reel for receivingcable or wire of the calf puller, a worm and cooperating worm gear foroperating the drum or reel, and suitable clutch mechanism between thereel and the gearing for disengaging the manually-operated driving meanswhen desirable.

A shaft 25 having a worm 26 extends through openings formed in the endwalls of the housing section for portion 21, being journalled in thoseopenings, and at one of its outer ends is provided with a guide-likesocket or head 27 to receive the shank portion 28a of a hand crank 28.The shank 28a is provided with a series of holes or openings (not shown)through which a knurled threaded stud 29 is passed to hold the shank ofthe hand crank in position in the socket or head member 27. By adjustingthe shank in the socket it will be understood that the worm shaft 25 maybe rotated at different speeds. In other words, this structure permitsthe regulation or control of speed of rotation of worm shaft 25.

Another and somewhat shorter shaft 30 extends through apertured bossesin the walls of the housing sections 20 and 21, the shaft beingjournalled in bearing assemblies 31 and 32 in the sections 20 and 21,respectively. The shaft 30 carries at its outer end adjacent the section21 of the housing, a control handle or knob 33. The shaft 30, adjacentthe bearing assembly 32 is provided with a reduced portion 32a for apurpose to be described hereinafter. Mounted for rotation on the shaft30 is a worm gear, shown as a whole at 34. The worm gear 34 is hollowedout at 35 and a bearing assembly 36, mounted on shaft 30, is provided inone of the hollowed-out portions of the gear 34. The gear teeth 34a areconstantly in mesh with the worm 26, see Figs. 3 and 4. Also mountedupon the shaft 30 is a winding drum or reel, shown as a whole at 38.This reel 38 is keyed or splined at 39 to the shaft 30 so as to rotatewith said shaft. The splined arrangement or keyway permits the shaft 29to be moved axially by grasping its handle or knob 33, carrying the reelor drum 38 with it and moving relatively to the gear 34. Thehollowed-out portion 35 houses a coil spring 40. Spring 40 surrounds theshaft 30 and finds a bearing at one end in the end wall of thehollowed-out portion 35 and at its other end in a similarly hollowed-outportion 41 in the drum or reel 38. The tendency of the spring 40 1s, ofcourse, to maintain the parts 34 and 38 separated as shown in Fig. 3.The members 34 and 38 have cooperating interfitting segmentalprojections and recesses 42 and 43, respectively. When the parts are intheir closed-together position as shown in Fig. of the drawings, thesesegmental projections and recesses 42 and 43 interfit or intermesh, asindicated in Figs. 4 and 5. When so intermeshed or interfitting,rotation of worm shaft 25 and worm 26 cause rotation of the gear 34 andlikewise rotation of the drum or reel 38. When, however, the parts areseparated as shown in Fig. 3, rotation of the worm shaft 25 and worm 26,causing rotation of worm gear 34, will not effect the movement orrotation of the drum or reel 38.

When it is desired to couple or intermesh the drum or reel 38 and thegear 34, as these parts are shown in Fig. 5, it is simply necessary tograsp the, knob 33 and teeth or projections and intervening grooves orrecesses 43 of member 38 into mesh with the similar parts 42 of member34. It is, of course, desirable to provide means for holding the partsin intermeshed relation. For this purpose, the face of the housing halfor section 21 is provided with a pivoted latch member 44 having midwayits ends a notched-out portion 45. The latch 18 pivotally mounted at itsleft end as viewed in Fig. 6

upon a threaded stud or the like 46 and its front end notch a is adaptedto engage the shank of a similar threaded stud or member 47, alsothreadedly mounted in the face of the housing section 21. When the shaft38 is shifted to the left as viewed in Fig. 3, the reduced diameterportion 32a thereof will be in position to receive the notched portion45 of the latch 44. Thus, when the latch is in the position in which itis shown in full lines in Fig. 6, it will lie betweenthe hub portion 33aof the handle member 33 and the adjacent face 21b of the housing section21. Rotation of the gear 34 by means of worm 26 will now effect therotation of the drum or reel 38. If and when it becomes desirable tounmesh or separate the parts 34 and 38, the latch member 44 is raisedfrom its full line position to its broken line position as viewed inFig. 6 to release the shaft 30. Upon its release, the coil spring 40will function to move the part 38 away from the gear 34 and'return theparts to their separated positions as shown in Fig. 3.

The reel or drum 38 provides means for winding up a length of so-calledairplane cable 50 which carries at its outer or free end a hook 51. Whenthe parts 34 and 38 are in their intermeshed positions as indicated inFig. 5, clockwise rotation of the hand crank 28 will wind the cable onthe drum or reel 38. Counter-clockwise rotation of the hand crank 28will play out the cable 50 from the reel 38. When, however, the partsare out of mesh, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, rotation of thehand crank will have no effect upon the reel or drum 38. With the partsin such positions, rotation of the handle member or knob 33 will revolvethe shaft 30 and likewise the reel 38 to wind the cable onto the reel.If it is desired to play out a length of cable, it may be grasped anddrawn outwardly, with the supporting drum or reel 38 rotating freely.This hand-manipulation of the cable 50 permits the rapid extension ofthe cable to a desired position of use.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 2 flexible means, such as a length of preferablynickel plated chain 52, is attached to the cable hook 51, with theopposite end portion of the chain being wrapped or wound around theprotruding legs 53 of a calf in the course of delivery from a cow 54,see Fig. 2.

With the parts 34 and 38 in the positions in which they are shown inFig. 5 and with the puller applied to the hind quarters of the cow 54,as viewed in Fig. 2, clockwise rotation of the hand crank 28, in aclockwise direction by the operator 55, will wind the cable 50 with aslow, gentle, steady and positive pull, thus aiding in the naturaldelivery of the calf. By virtue of the gentle, gradual, steady pullingaction of the puller of the present invention, the easy delivery ofcalves and foals is achieved. Moreover, by virtue of the improved actionof the puller of the present invention, the mother animal is fullyprotected against the danger of tearing or serious injury. By virtue ofthe provision of the particular strong, lightweight, preferably aluminumshoe 13 which properly fits the cows pin bones, the correct, normalpressure is placed upon the cows legs.

After the completion of the delivery of the calf, the parts can be putinto their positions of use again by simply operating the clutch toallow the cable to be played off freely from the drum or reel, theclutch again released, whereupon the puller is in readiness for themanually-operated power pulling means to be placed in operation toassist in the delivery of another calf.

By virtue of the sectional features of the puller of the presentinvention, the puller may be dismantled or disassembled and packed in arelatively small carton for storage purposes or shipment.

The power pulling means of the present invention is adapted for variousother uses than in the pulling of calves. By using the hanging hook,pump rods may be pulled out of pumps and various items may be elevatedor moved by attaching the hook 51 at the end of the cable 50 to thearticle, or by placing a sling (not shown) about an article, andattaching the hook to it. Furthermore, the power pulling means or hoistmechanism 19 is also useful as a wire stretcher by simply supporting orholding the hoist by means of its hanging hook, attaching the hook 51 atthe end of the cable 50 to the wire strand to be stretched, and thenoperating the hand crank by turning it in a clockwise direction. Theadjustability of the hand crank permits the rotation of the worm andworm gear to be speeded up or slowed down as the job being done mayrequire. The two-piece steel shaft-like frame is preferablymachine-tooled and plated to prevent or offer rust and corrosionresistance and is of suflicient strength so that it will not bend orbuckle in use. The worm and gear parts are formed from high grade steeland malleable iron and preferably heavy duty noncorroding Oilitebearings are used and are grease-packed.

The knob or handle 33 on the outside of the hoist casing and the releaselatch 44 associated therewith and which provide means for releasing theparts to allow the cable to be played out manually at high speed, alsopermit the disengagement of the gear and clutch permitting the fasttake-up of any slack in the cable 50 when desirable.

While the above description and the following claims refer primarily tothe fact that the present invention relates to a combined calf pullerand hoist, it is to be understood that the device is equally welladapted for use as a combined foal puller and hoist. Thus, this broaderinterpretation is to be placed upon the descriptive matter and theclaims in view of the fact that the instant invention has operated veryefiiciently in connection with the delivery of foals.

I claim:

1. In a calf puller, an elongated frame, an animalengaging and embracingshoe carried at one end of said frame, an adjustable belt carried bysaid shoe for holding it in animal-embracing position, a housingdisposed at the opposite end of the frame, a cable-carrying winding reelrotatably mounted within the housing, a cable on the reel having itsfree end portion extending outside the housing, a hand crank associatedwith the winding reel for revolving the same, a shaft extending throughthe housing to which said crank is attached, a worm on said shaft, aworm gear also located within the housing in mesh with the worm andproviding means for revolving the cable winding reel, clutch meansassociated with the worm gear and winding reel to release the windingreel from its driving connection with the worm gear and worm atpredetermined times, and releasable flexible connecting means forconnecting the free end of the cable with the legs of the calf beingdelivered whereby upon rotation of the hand crank, the winding reel isrevolved to wind the cable on the reel and thus pull the calf slowly,gently and positively toward the housing to effect the delivery thereof.

2. A calf puller according to claim 1, wherein the hand crank isadjustably mounted with respect to the worm shaft.

3. A calf puller according to claim 1, wherein a suspending hook isattached to the housing.

4. A calf puller according to claim 1, wherein an attaching hook issecured to the free end of the cable and a suspending hook is attachedto the housing.

5. A calf puller according to claim 4, wherein said elongated frame isformed in detachable interfitting sections, one thereof being tubular.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS745,992 Bargeboer Dec. 8, 1903 938,840 Fowler Nov. 2, 1909 2,487,425Collins Nov. 8, 1949 2,521,191 Stanland Sept. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS635,021 France Dec. 10, 1927

